J.J. Abrams will be honored today during the Intl. Emmy Awards Gala in New York

PARIS– Bruce Paisner has been re-elected president and CEO of the Intl. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a two-year term.

Paisner, who has been at the helm of the Intl. Academy since January 2004, will begin his new term on Jan. 1.

“The International Academy has become a significant player on the global media stage, and I look forward to many new initiatives and activities,” said Paisner, who is also a long-term exec at Hearst Corp.

The 41st Intl. Emmy Awards Gala, set to take place this evening (Nov. 25) in New York, will be honoring J.J. Abrams with an Intl. Emmy Founders kudo and Anke Schaeferkordt, RTL Group’s co–CEO, with an Intl. Emmy Directorate nod.

Abrams is “probably the most interesting creative talent in the industry right now. He’s a great writer, producer, director and an amazing creator,” Paisner said. “He already at age 47 has a number of classic television shows like ‘Felicity’ and ‘Lost’ that have set a model for all kinds of shows that came afterward.”

Paisner announced he will reup the Academy’s current officers, including chairman Fred Cohen; secretary Simon Sutton, who is prexy of HBO’s international & content distribution; and Lionsgate TV group’s chairman Kevin Beggs as co-chairman of the special awards committee.